The Marauders Return
by beatlesgurl
Summary: What if Lily and James didnt die on Halloween 1981? The Potters return in Harry's sixth year.
1. Chapter 1

"Boo!"

Harry giggled at the bursts of lights coming from James' wand.

"Having fun, daddy?" asked a voice in the doorway. James turned and smiled.

"Of course, mummy." He replied with a wink.

Lily laughed. "Time for bed, Harry." She picked up the toddler and tickled his belly. He giggled and squirmed in her arms. The redhead laughed alongside him and began up the stairs.

James smiled at the two before retiring to the couch. At the ripe old age of twenty one, James Potter was retired. And locked in his house, but he tended to push that from his mind.

He swatted absentmindedly at an orange and black paper chain hanging from the ceiling. He used to love Halloween when he was in school. He and Sirius (Remus refused to be a part of their shenanigans and peter was too scared) would run around demanding candy of the teachers and enchanting the statues to hand it out in the halls. But lately he found it hard to get excited about much. Except for when it came to his son and Lily, of course.

He was still amazed that Lily chose to be with him. _Him. _He'd loved her for years, and it seemed hopeless that she would ever reciprocate his feelings. Seventh year was easily the best in his life. He had his friends, he did well in school, and he had Lily. Of course, having Harry tied right up there with Lily. But still, being locked up was not for James Potter.

He sat, reminiscing on the couch, when he heard the gate in the front squeak. This immediately set him on edge. No one was supposed to be able to get into the house but the marauders and Dumbledore. He pulled out his wand and crept into the entry way in time to see the handle turn silently. Ghostly pale fingers gripped the frame and the door swung open.

This couldn't be happening. Peter was their secret keeper! He wouldn't sell them out; they'd practically grown up together! What could they have done to break his fellow marauders resolve? He silently prayed that peter was unharmed and safe, before bringing his mind back to the situation at hand.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!" he yelled to the stairs. The door swung open with a thud. Snake-like eyes peered at him from an inhuman face. The thing showed its teeth in a wolfish grin and took a step over the threshold.

"James," he said pleasantly, as if he were simply over for a cup of tea. "Isn't this nice? I haven't seen you in so long." The thing's grin widened, his eyes alighting with bloodlust. "Sadly, I'm here on business. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about." He kept the cordial air about him as he conversed with his enemy.

"Can't say I do, Tom." James said through gritted teeth.

Voldemort let out a bark of laughter, but there was no real humor behind it. "I'm sure you know of the prophesy. Your son poses a threat to me, and we can't have that, can we?" he took a step closer.

"You're not going to touch Harry." James growled. "I won't let you."

Voldemort tisked. "Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about that. _Crucio._"

James collapsed to the floor, writhing in agony. White hot knives penetrated his flesh for what felt like years. _Oh, Merlin, just let it stop._ He silently begged. The pain finally halted, and James lay on the floor gasping for breath.

"See, Potter? There is nothing you can do to save your family." Voldemort said cruelly. "As much fun as this is, I must be going. _Avada Kedavra._"

Lily held Harry in the nursery, hearing everything going on down below. At these words she clutched Harry to her chest and let a tear slip out. She couldn't let grief over take her like this, she had to protect Harry. She stood and walked over to the far side of the room, away from the door. Suddenly, the wall blasted into the room and Voldemort stood in the rubble.

Lily backed away and placed harry in his crib. She turned and blocked him with her own body.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" she begged

"Stand aside, you silly girl...stand aside, now..."

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead–" She was pleading with him now, she would be on her knees if not for her need to shield Harry.

Voldemort's eyes flashed, annoyed. "This is my last warning-"

"Not Harry! Please ... have mercy ... Not Harry! Please – I'll do anything..." Lily cried, tears stinging her eyes.

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

And everything went dark.

Lily felt herself land with a thump. It was peaceful in the darkness of her eyelids, almost like being asleep, only easier. She felt a hand on her forehead. There must be someone next to her. Silly them, they obviously don't know how nice sleeping is, or they would be like her. The hand began stroking her hair, running their fingers through it just how she liked. She could get used to this. She recalled James doing this to her many times as they dozed under the beech tree at Hogwarts. James… Where was he? She really needed to find him. No matter, she'll worry about it when she wakes up.

Why wouldn't Lily wake up? James Potter was kneeling on the ground at his wife's side, running his fingers through her hair in worry. In the nearly five minutes since he'd woken up to find Lily's prone form on the ground, he'd only grown more worried and confused. He glanced up in desperation, searching the surrounding landscape for help. He was startled to find a crumbling shack not ten meters away from where they lay.

He braced his foot on the ground, sliding his arms gently under his wife's torso and knees, and stood. As he began to take a step, his knees locked and he lurched forward, nearly dropping his precious cargo. He hurriedly stabilized himself, worried that he wouldn't be able to make it all the way to the shack. His entire body ached and he groaned in pain. He set his jaw and forced himself forward slowly, setting one foot carefully in front of the other with a determined pace.

He staggered forward, barely making it to the porch of the shack, before his legs collapsed underneath him. He found himself falling heavily to his knees, his weight causing a loud crack to echo throughout the silent night. He secured Lily in his arms, protecting her from harm as he slouched over in fatigue. His eyesight went blurry as he drifted into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hola! How have y'all been this past week? I've been good, thanks for asking. No, I'm afraid i dont have change for a twenty. Oh, a present? FOR ME? Oh, you shouldn't have (But I'm so glad you did!) Reviews? Oh, how'd you know that's what I wanted for my birthday? You guys are the best!**

**Whether you decide to honor my birthday with a review or not (I hope you do!), I have a dediction!**

**This here chapter is dedicated to Sweet-Little-Hufflepuff who correctly guessed that my favorite color was YELLOW! Didn't guess it? Don't worry! You'll have another chance at the end of this chapter!**

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_CRACK!_

Remus Lupin's head shot up from his book. "Did you hear that?" He said, addressing what seemed to be an empty room. He looked sharply down at the giant black dog that slept at his feet. He rolled his eyes and kicked the dog sharply. "Padfoot!"

With a great snort, the beast woke and looked about in alarm. Seeing nothing, it turned its stormy eyes on Remus, effectively glaring at the human. The scruffy dog stretched back, before leaping forward and transforming into an even scruffier man. The animagus rubbed his side uncomfortably, before turning to Remus and slapping him upside the head.

"What was that for?" He complained. "I was just resting my eyes! Goodness knows you don't need a watchdog, Remus." A sly grin crept across his features. "Werewolves are frightening enough to most people."

Remus, however, seemed to be paying even less attention to him than his normal indifference. "I wonder, did something fall? It sounded like something fell." He sprang out of his armchair and walked briskly to the kitchen in search of the noise.

Sirius was confused. "What noise, Remus?" He chased after his friend, careful of the holes in the floor. "I didn't hear a noise! Are you sure you aren't just hearing things?" He bounced after him like a silly pup, eager for its owner to stop what they were doing and return their attention to him. He paused in the doorway, attempting to barricade Remus in this room.

Remus ignored him further. "Maybe it came from outside." He turned and wormed his way through the doorframe, around his annoying friend.

Sirius still chased after him. "Remus! Reeemmmus!" He tried desperately to gain the werewolves attention, but it was all in vain.

Remus opened the door and glanced around in search of the noise, before his eyes were drawn to the heap of person lying in the doorway.

"Remus, what are you talking abo-" Sirius finally stopped talking as he, too, reached the porch. He noticed the flaming hair and broken glasses before anything else. Remus, of course, was already a step ahead.

"Sirius, grab Ginny and put her on the couch! I'll get Harry." He watched as Sirius scooped up the unconscious redhead and carried her inside, before lifting the man into a fireman's carry and hurrying inside. He placed him gently onto the armchair he had just vacated and began to check him over for injuries.

Sirius's startled voice sounded over his shoulder. "Uh, Remus?"

"Not now, Sirius!" Remus was anxious with worry.

"No, Remus you really should have a look at this." Sirius continued to talk.

Remus ignored him and began feeling for any broken bones. Feeling none in his arm, he moved on to the ribs.

"Remus!" Sirius grabbed the taller man's shoulders and forcefully turned him around. "Listen to me!"

Remus was _beyond _vexed. "What, Sirius?" He began. "What could be more important than your _godson's _welfare?" He glared at Sirius, waiting for an answer.

"_That_," He pointed to the woman on the couch. "Is _not _Ginny."

All of Remus's berating words vanished from his mind at that moment. "It's not?" Sirius shook his head. "Then who is it? How many redheads do we know?" He was speaking mostly to himself now. "I'm pretty sure we only know Ginny, are you sure that isn't Ginny? It has to be, since she was with harry."

Sirius cut him off before he could say anything else. "Remus," He spoke slowly. "Are you sure that's harry?" Remus did a double take at his friend's words.

"Of course it's Harry! Just look at him!" he gestured grandly at the man on the chair.

"Check his forehead, Remus." Sirius spoke calmly, taking Remus's place as the voice of reason. At Remus's blank stare, he pushed forward and inspected he man's head himself. His eyes swept over the unblemished forehead of the now unknown man. He was speechless at the discovery.

"Well?" Remus was impatient behind him.

"There's no scar." Sirius whispered, almost to himself. But Remus did hear him.

"What?" Remus demanded loudly, rushing forward to check for himself. The lack of scar seemed to shake him back into his normal, rational mind. He backed away from the stranger, turning around and walking smartly toward the redheaded woman on the couch, finally getting a good look at her.

Something about her was familiar to him. He inspected her face for any sort of clues as to her identity. She had pale skin, not unusual for this area, with just a handful of freckles splayed across her nose. Her lips were a rich, vibrant pink that could only be natural, and her eyelashes were surprisingly dark for someone with her hair color. She was beautiful, yes, but Remus still had no idea who she was.

They had to be old friends, as Remus only had a limited number of people he saw nowadays, and she certainly wasn't one of them. Old friends… From Hogwarts, maybe, but she looked too young to be from his class, the man was, too, and they were obviously married, if their rings were any indication.

The more he thought about it, the more Remus felt attached to the couple. Like they were family, somehow. But no, the only people who could _possibly_ fit that description were James and Lily, and they'd been dead for years, while these people were obviously alive. A sudden curiosity about the color of the woman's eyes filled Remus's mind. He knew it was insane, but he _had _to check, just to make sure.

He shook his head to himself, finding his endless curiosity silly, approaching her nonetheless. His hand paused just above her eyelids, preparing to be disappointed (he wondered why he even bothered to get his hopes up), before placing two fingers over her eyes and drawing her eyelids up slowly.

He shut them immediately.

It wasn't possible. She was dead. _They _were dead. Neither of these people were supposed to be here. It was incomprehensible. It was unimaginable.

But at the same time, it was like a dream come true.

He made a strangled sort of noise, drawing Sirius over to where he was standing. His inner turmoil must have been evident, as Sirius immediately went on edge.

"What is it, Remus? Do you know who she is?"

Remus snorted. _Did he know who she was?_ Yes, he bloody knew who she was! He took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. "It's-er…uh, it's Lily." He didn't even believe his own words, and by the looks of it, neither did Sirius.

He gave Remus a disbelieving look. "Don't kid with me, Moony. Who is she really?" he grabbed Remus's arm and forced him to face him.

Remus donned the most sincere look he could muster. "Lily. It's really her." Sirius raised his eyebrow. Oh, why wouldn't he just believe him? "Go on and look for yourself, then!" He pushed Sirius towards the couch. Sirius shot Remus an annoyed look as he was jerked forward. He straightened his coat and walked the rest of the distance to the redhead. He shot Remus one more skeptical look before pulling up the redhead's eyelids gently and peering at her face.

Remus heard his breath catch. He walked up behind his friend and put a shaking hand on his shoulder. At the contact, Sirius turned to look at him. "Wha-" He didn't finish the thought, only continued to stare at Remus with questions in his eyes. Remus shook his head. He had no answers for him. Suddenly, Sirius turned his head sharply to the armchair. His questioning eyes grew wide at the sight of the messy haired man. He turned back to Remus. "If-if this is Lily…" his eyes trailed back to the man. "Does that make that…?" He looked away, unable to finish the thought, not willing to get his hopes up.

Remus stared at Sirius, who refused to meet his eyes. Suddenly, something clicked. His face broke out into the widest smile he'd had since his Hogwarts days. "James?" It had to be him; it's the only thing that would make sense. He looked at the man, then back at the girl. Why hadn't he seen it before? He began to laugh. It started as a soft chuckle, but quickly grew to uproarious laughter. They were back.

_They were back. _

Sometime during his mad inner ramblings, Sirius had broken out into laughter as well, preforming his victory dance in time with some sort of silent music. He met Remus's eyes and suddenly engulfed him into a (not very manly) bear hug, but Remus couldn't care less.

Their brother was back.

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**How'd y'all like it? You have NO idea how happy I was to write the end! How do you like the weekly updates? I dig them!**

**Now for the question: Which Harry Potter movie did I last watch? First to answer correctly gets a dedication!**


	3. Chapter 3

I am SO sorry for the ridiculously long time it took me to update this story. The only excuse I can offer is that my life has just been a hurricane of crazy lately :( Anyway, here's the new chapter! I know it's a bit short, but please bear with me.

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Minerva McGonagall was having an absolutely horrible day.

She did not care even in the slightest about Professor Sprout's new crop of mandrakes, nor did she revel in the shenanigans that the upper years seemed so fond of. It was for these reasons that she unequivocally _loathed _these monthly Professor meetings.

Dumbledore, of course, was no help; any time she tried to stay even _remotely _on topic, he would twinkle his eyes at her and offer one of his lemon drops. If anything, he _encouraged _these trivial little conversations! As Headmaster, he should be the strictest entity at Hogwarts, but instead he continued merrily on his way, cheering on these gossipy discussions.

The only person who seemed to agree with her was Severus Snape, and she would hardly count him among her allies. And so, she sat there with outstanding posture and not a word on her lips.

That is, until Sirius Black nearly tackled her to the ground.

As she sat in her straight-backed chair and looked dignified, the double doors leading into the corridor burst open with a loud bang. Every being in the room (be they teacher or ghost) snapped their heads around so quickly that a collective _crick _echoed through the chamber.

A very frantic Sirius Black rounded the corner into the teacher's lounge and made a hazy beeline for the Headmaster. His wild eyes focused only on his target, disregarding all obstacles between him and Dumbledore. Because of his frenzied state, there was no way he could have avoided barreling head-first into the irate deputy Headmistress. As he crashed into her chair, Minerva acted as quickly as she could to transform into her animagus before harm could befall her brand-new pair of spectacles. However, her actions did nothing to aid Sirius's falling, and he crashed to the ground in a giant heap.

Dumbledore himself wasn't a bit concerned with the crazed actions of his former student, and remained seated while the rest of the staff panicked at the ruckus. He surveyed the scene of chaos in front of him and quietly waited for everyone to calm down.

Sirius, not phased in the slightest at his tremendous crash, leapt to his feet and hurried to the Headmaster's side.

"Dumbledore!" he grunted, out of breath. "You'll never believe…the shack…snow…" he continued to sputter like a fish as he attempted to regain his breath.

Dumbledore's eyes had lost their twinkle at the sight in front of him. "Spit it out!" he urged.

"James and Lily!" Sirius was able to get out in a whisper. "In the shack!"

The headmaster rose to his feet at once and began making his way towards the door, "Minerva, please follow me." He requested in an uncharacteristically commanding tone. McGonagall weaved through the many feet of the Hogwarts staff and began following Dumbledore down the hall with Sirius hot on her heels.

* * *

"James," Remus prodded gently. He placed a hand on his old friend's head. Sighing to himself, he resumed the gentle poking.

Remus reached to tweak his nose (the same method he used to wake James for classes years ago), and he stirred slightly. Remus, content with his reaction for the time being, sat back and searched the face of his long lost friend.

How strange it was to be reunited with those closest to him. He had longed for this moment for sixteen years, but now that it was a reality he didn't know how to feel. Confused was at the top of his list currently. The logical side of him was running rampant trying to come up with a logical answer for these happenings. But another part of him was content to just accept it. All his life he'd been too logical, too prone to over analyze everything. His rational nature had ruined more than his fair share of good things, and he was tired of it. These were his _best friends_, for goodness sake! The hell with sense, he'll pull a page out of Sirius's book and just let it be. Lily had always told him that he needed to lighten up, and Remus was just starting to see the sensibleness in it.

Forcing all thoughts out of his mind, Remus rose to his feet and walked to the rundown kitchen attached to the sitting room. "Thank goodness for magic" he mumbled to himself as he conjured a glass and filled it with cool water. He ambled over to the table that occupied much of the small eating space and had just sat down when a roar sounded from the living room. Remus leapt to his feet so quickly that black spots danced in front of his vision. He charged for the living room, letting the forgotten glass slide out of his hand and shatter on the floor in his rush. Remus rounded the corner, wand out, and muttered the first spell he could think of.

"Jelly-legs jinx!" Remus bellowed, only to have it rebounded at him. Just as he began to fall, a pair of arms supported his weight. It took him only a second to mumble the counter-curse "_unjellify_" and survey the room.

A solemn Dumbledore met his gaze, and wands were redrawn.

"What's your favorite flavor of jam?" Remus challenged the headmaster. Dumbledore replied "Raspberry" and the formalities were dropped. McGonagall stepped forward and rushed to Lily's side.

"What's happened, Remus?" she questioned. Remus could see a million questions pooling in her eyes, but she only asked the one.

Remus began to explain the night's strange happenings, only for Dumbledore to stop him with a raise of his hand. "Explanations can wait. For now, let's get the Potters to the hospital wing." He produced a vial of floo powder from his robes. "Please take them straight to Poppy. Minerva and I will investigate here." he offered the vial to Sirius and Remus.

Remus wanted to argue, but instead lifted Lily gently in his arms and took a small handful of powder. Turning, he noticed Sirius struggling to support James. "You'd think that being dead for sixteen years would thin him out." He remarked breathlessly, finally tossing him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. With both of them situated, Remus motioned for Sirius to go first, and he and James disappeared in a flash of green flames. Remus stepped into the fire and took one last look at the grave professor before spinning away.

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A/N:

Almost forgot! Whoever can guess my favorite flavor of ice cream will get a shout out :)

With love, Molly


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys! Here's a new chapter for you! I know its super late, but I'm not going to make excuses. Just know that I'm going to continue trying my hardest to update.**

**Unfortunately****, no one guessed my favorite flavor of ice cream :( It's vanilla, bland I know, but if you sprinkle a ton of powdered nesquik over it, it's to die for. **

**Thank you to all my reviewers, who ,as always, get me up off my butt and write. Enjoy!**

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Harry awoke to the smell of pumpkins. Not at all unusual for this time of year, but definitely not what he was expecting. He raised his head to look around, only for his vision to be blocked by the drab curtains of the hospital wing. How had he gotten here? He couldn't remember. Ron would surely tell him all about it whenever he arrived. With a quick glance outside the window, Harry determined it was far too late for the hospital wing to sound so busy, much less smell like pumpkins. Why, then, could he clearly hear the deep rumble of the headmaster's voice and the sharp tones of Madam Pomfrey?

_Something must have happened._

Maybe that was why he was in the hospital wing, an accident? He strained to recall any memory from before he woke up, to no avail. There was no Quidditch game the day before, he knew that for sure, so he ruled out falling from the sky. Now that he thought about it, he didn't feel any sort of bruised or broken besides his head. Maybe there was a duel? Harry didn't know, and his head was swimming too much for him to think of anything else.

He lay back down against the stiff pillows and allowed his mind to slip back into unconsciousness.

* * *

Remus had finally grown tired off Sirius's frenzied pacing. All night he'd been back and forth, back and forth, until Remus's temper had finally gotten the best of him and he all but forced the over-anxious man into his animagus form. But of course that hadn't stopped him, Sirius was far too hard headed to be forced into anything, and now Remus was forced to listen to four feet pad back and forth, back and forth into the wee hours of the morning.

He reckoned James and Lily had shown up at the shrieking shack at around eight or nine in the evening. Glancing at his watch, he realized that it was now an unsightly two 'o clock in the morning, and _boy _did he feel it. He probably looked worse than he felt, if that was possible, but that paled in comparison to the night's events.

Taking a quick glance over at his friend's prone forms, he settled deeper in his uncomfortable hospital chair and attempted to gather his thoughts.

So Lily and James were alive, that much was obvious, but Agrippa help him if he knew why. Dumbledore didn't seem to have a clue either, from what Remus had seen, but Dumbledore was always a bit secretive with his own thoughts. Remus had _been _to the house, he'd _seen _the wreckage, and there was no way anyone could have survived. Anyone but Harry, of course.

Oh, Merlin, Harry. What was going to happen with him? His own parents, barely older than the boy, himself. Nothing was ever fair to poor Harry. Remus longed to be able to protect Harry from all the injustices of the world, just as Sirius did, but knew there was nothing to be done. He was simultaneously proud and saddened by the brilliant young man he was becoming. Proud of his courage and strength, as anyone would be, but saddened by his ever-hardening soul. It was too much to think about for this ungodly hour, and Remus decided to let his mind rest from all of his over-analyzing.

His gaze focused again on the bland wallpaper, and his acute hearing noticed the lack of footsteps. Glancing over, he saw that Sirius had relocated from the floor to the foot of James's hospital bed, resting his furry head on his friend's feet. A slight whine escaped the dog's mouth as he became aware of Remus's gaze. Uncertainty hung limp in the air like a fog, and neither of them could do anything to help it.

* * *

Before he knew it, the sun was rising in the window, and Poppy was bustling around the hospital wing like a feverish mother hen. Fluffing pillows and checking vitals, she muttered to herself the tasks for her day.

Remus had always had a soft spot for Madam Pomfrey. After all her understanding and care during his days at Hogwarts, she still treated him like any other patient she'd ever had, and that couldn't be said about a lot of people. He watched with fondness as she was her overbearing, overprotective self, and couldn't help but feel nostalgic. How strange it was that instead of waking up to his friend's worried gazes, he was the one worrying.

He shifted his weight, and the movement alerted Pomfrey to his presence. "Oh good, Remus, you're awake. There's a bit of breakfast waiting in my office, if you'd like. Dumbledore sent the house elves down with it a while ago, along with a message to join him in his office when you've finished." She gave a quick quirk of the lips before returning to her duties.

Remus strode over to the bed that the large black dog still slept on, and shook him awake. Yawning, Padfoot looked at him with groggy loathing and transformed back lazily into his human form. Remus could barely contain a snort at the sight of a grown man curled at the feet of another. Sirius made no sign that he heard Remus's outburst, just stood and stretched out his muscles, before turning to look back at Remus. Remus made a silent hand gesture to follow and strode out of the curtains cutting the Potters off from the rest of the wing,

Sirius followed Remus into Poppy's office, grabbing some sort of pastry off the plate on her desk and flopping onto the small loveseat. Even at the worst of times, Remus mused, Sirius had a way of diffusing the tension like no other. He must have been zoning out, as Sirius commented loudly "Remus, we're all well aware that I'm attractive, but I thought we'd gotten over this staring mess in fifth year."

Remus gave a smirk and attempted to smack his friend, "You great prat," He muttered, shooting a wry glance towards the door. "There are students out there, Padfoot!"

"Just the one, Remus, every other bed is empty." He nodded towards the door. Remus stepped over to the doorframe and glanced around the hospital wing, noting the one bed curtained off near the back of the room, far away from James and Lily. Thankful for the lack of potential eavesdroppers, he returned to the office and pushed Sirius's feet back onto the floor so that he could sit.

"What's going to happen now, Remus?" Sirius's voice was soft and wondering, devoid of his previous energy.

"I don't know, Padfoot." Remus sighed. "We'll just have to take it one step at a time, I guess."

Sirius shot him an odd look. "What the hell, Moony? Where's that overthinking that has annoyed me for so long?"

Remus sighed again; _he really needed to stop doing that_, and looked at Sirius with tired eyes. "I just don't know, Sirius. It's not like this has ever happened before."

Sirius's eyes surveyed the werewolf. "Fair enough, mate. I'm sure Dumbledore has already come up with some sort of reasoning."

Remus barked a laugh. "Of course he has, he's Dumbledore."

They both chuckled at their old headmaster. They respected the hell out of him, but that didn't make them understand him. The thoughts of Dumbledore brought them back to fond memories of their time at Hogwarts, memories that didn't seem so distant now.

"I don't know whether to be happy or what." Sirius pondered. Remus didn't need to ask what he was talking about, that much was clear.

"Let's wait to pass judgment, Paddy, until we know what we're up against"

"Always the voice of reason, eh Remus?" Sirius laughed. "You were always like that, even worse than Lily." He shot a glance at his friend. "I reckon you annoyed even her with your constant 'level-headedness'."

Remus snorted. "I was level headed!" He defended. "It's the rest of you lot that were bloody insane!" Even now, he couldn't stop a grin from creeping over his features.

"Sure, sure," Sirius soothed. "I'm _positive _that you were the only sane one among us."

"Well Pete was a close second at times."

That halted the conversation. Peter Pettigrew, the fourth Marauder.

"What happened to him, Sirius? He used to be our best friend."

"Power, I reckon. Same as Snape and Reg." Sirius's voice was bitter. "I never understood that. Why people thought he would offer them power. He's nothing but a conniving snake."

Remus placed a comforting hand on Sirius's shoulder. "I'm not sure either, Padfoot."

"God, all it does is tear people apart!" Sirius growled lowly. "Reg was always such a good kid. And the last time I saw him was seventh year. _Seventh year, _Remus. Now he's gone and gotten himself killed, the bloody prat."

Remus couldn't think of anything to say. Instead he reached out for another pastry and handed it to his friend. Sirius looked up with a grateful twitch of the lips and they fell into silence.

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**Who can guess what my favorite Beatles song is? To be more specific, its on the White Album.**


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